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Sports in Grade School

A question from Lisa Clark:

I am a coach/parent at a grade school that has talked about shutting down our sports program because of school funding. I coach Pee Wee basketball (I have a 3rd grade player), and I do it voluntary, but when I coached 5-8th cheerleading they paid me. Now that our school is in trouble I think all our coaching should be voluntary, but that's my opinion. My real question is, how do we convince the board of education that sports are a real asset to these kids?

Let me tell you a little about our school. We only have 109 kids enrolled, so when they try out for sports they most likely make it. Also they have to keep up their grades (C avg.) or they don't get to play until they are brought up.

I know I may have answered a lot of my own questions, but I just wanted an outside opinion.

Answer: At the last update to the web site, I received a question from a parent asking what youth sports can do for kids. While I am neither an educator nor an individual trained in child development, I have spent more than 50 years as a volunteer youth coach and therefore feel comfortable and qualified to offer my thoughts on the question, "What do youth sports do for kids?"

According to educators, psychiatrists, psychologists and other trained experts, youth sports can play a very important role in a child's development. The life values that can be learned from a positive sports experience might best be summarized by the opinion of a noted high school athletic executive who said "Sportsmanship is the starting point - if not the essence - of good citizenship" and sportsmanship, of course, is the foundation of a quality youth sports program. 

Here is a short list of what, I believe, participation in youth sports can do for children. Perhaps you can use this information to convince the Board of Education that sports programs are indeed important and they should do everything they can to continue the programs.

Youth sports can:

bulletProvide a source of fun and to enjoyment for children, by themselves or with their peers
bullet Provide the opportunity for regular, healthy exercise 
bullet Build an appreciation of personal health and fitness
bullet Provide a release from daily pressures of school and family life
bullet Provide children the opportunity for a degree of independent activity
bullet Provide children the opportunity to understand and learn the importance of discipline in an environment that makes it more easily accepted
bullet Provide the opportunity to learn the importance and meaning of teamwork
bullet Can teach important life values such as teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship
bullet Can teach responsibility - both individual and shared
bullet Provide the opportunity to learn and to accept authority
bullet Provide the opportunity to learn to accept and follow directions, rules and regulations
bullet Provide the opportunity to develop and master leadership skills
bullet Teach the importance of commitment, dedication and loyalty
bullet Help children develop good work habits 
bullet Teach the importance of always doing your best
bullet Teach children to accept both winning and losing and how to manage success and disappointment
bullet Provide an opportunity to meet new friends
bullet Provide the opportunity for physical development, improved coordination and the development of new motor skills 
bullet Provide an opportunity to improve a child's confidence, sense of accomplishment and to develop a positive self image and self worth
bullet Help children learn to resolve issues and disputes without violence 
bullet Provide the opportunity to develop new interests and activities that can be enjoyed for a lifetime (tennis, golf, bowling, swimming, skiing, etc.)
bullet Provide the opportunity to develop healthy social relationships with adults as well as peers
bullet Teach children to respect others

Also you might be interested in the following statistics that illustrate the significant, positive impact participating in high school sports has on students:

bullet Kids who play sports do better in school and are less likely to get in trouble
bullet The rate of absenteeism is less than half for students who participate in sports!
bullet School dropout rate for athletes is 1% and over 8% for non-athletes!
bullet Discipline rate is 10% lower for athletes!
bullet Grade point average for athletes is 1 GPA level higher than non-athletes!
bullet Students who participate in sports are 90% less likely to use drugs and 3 times more likely to graduate!
bullet Girls who participate in sports are 80% less likely to become pregnant!

These are pretty compelling statistics that the Board of Education should be made aware of if they don't already know about them. Sports programs in your school are important. I support your opinion regarding volunteer coaches and commend you for your effort on behalf of the children.